music

214 posts

The Year in Pop & Rock: Part Three

Kiedis, leader singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and occasional leather daddy, poses with the rest of the band in a Los Angeles alleyway, 2011

In this concluding edition of the year in review, we will touch upon the developments within the sphere of indie music, reissues, and the absolute worst albums released in 2011. Without further ado, let’s jump on in. Continue reading

QOTD: Rock on 2011

As it happens, 2011 is the year I discovered Palladia, a channel that basically shows concerts 24/7 and is all sorts of awesome. It’s also the year I went to the most concerts, for no particularly good reason. What can I say? There were some damn good tours this year, and I really needed to make up for the fact that American Idol judge Steven freaking Tyler broke his hip last year and canceled the rest of the Aerosmith tour I was planning to travel two hours to see on a weeknight. And so, the Question of the Day: What’s the best concert you saw in 2011? Or, alternatively, as there have been plenty of years I haven’t made it to any, What concert did you most want to go to in 2011? Continue reading

The Year in Rock & Pop: Part One

Whew! Another year has passed and left an oily slick of music in its wake. Some of that music was good and some of it was lousy but on balance, 2011 was a pretty exciting year in the music industry. As expected, CDs continued their slow death march but to the delight of music nerds and audiophiles everywhere, vinyl sales grew. Spotify graced us with its benevolent presence, thereby saving thousands of cubicle dwellers from the tyranny of their coworkers’ Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift playlists. Napster, Spotify’s precursor, bit the dust (much to the delight of Lars Ulrich—more on him later) and iTunes’ creator passed away.  Continue reading

QOTD: Hey DJ

“If music be the food of love, play on!” Mmm, musical sustenance… so very, very important. 2011 was a huge year for artists such as Adele (21), Coldplay (Mylo Xyloto, people suddenly unironically liking Chris Martin), Lady Gaga (The Immaculate Collection Born This Way), and Rihanna (Loud), but also some good ones! (I kid, I kid!) And so…

Question of the Day: What was your favorite song released in 2011? Continue reading

Francophone Artists Worth Your Time and Money

Growing up “hors du Québec” (outside of Québec), French music has always remained a cultural staple in both my Francophone schooling and home life.  Raised under the shadow of two failed constitutional accords and Québec’s sovereignty crisis, I grew up with first-hand knowledge of the precarious nature of language, culture, and cultural distinction.  Or rather, I understood how they mattered and continue to matter in an ever increasingly English world.  As a Franco-Ontarienne raised in a minority linguistic community, Francophone artists encapsulated the voices of our history, our joy, our pain.  The following artists are unique in their own artistic styles and aesthetics and have all contributed, quite simply, to the creation of good music.

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10 Songs to Bring Olde Skool Flair to Your Christmas Playlist

If you’re anything like me, you probably like Christmas music, but are sick of hearing the same verse of “Jingle Bells” done over and over again, as well as the latest group of teen boys singing “Deck the Halls” or mangling the words to the “Twelve Days of Christmas.” Well, I’m here to help you out. You see, there have been centuries of beautiful Christmas music that no one sings anymore. Maybe not no one, but these treasures tend to remain hidden until someone like Enya dusts them off for her next Christmas album, or some random pop “star” does really shitty renditions of them. Continue reading

Elvis Costello Wants You to Buy a Louis Armstrong Record

When the music industry is failing and no one is buying CDs the solution is always to charge more money. It worked for Abercrombie and Fitch earlier this decade right?  Oh wait…

When the content creators are asking you to charge less money and willing to take the pay cut the solution is always to charge more. It’s worked really well for the airlines right?  Oh wait… Continue reading